Books & Literature

Cookbook Extract: Easy Gluten Free, by Helen Tzouganatos

Enjoy three free recipes from this new cookbook by Helen Tzougantatos, host of SBS Food series Loving Gluten Free.

Discover how easy it is to cook delicious, gluten-free food for the whole family with Helen Tzouganatos’ brand new cookbook, Easy Gluten Free.

Helen Tzougantatos, host of SBS Food series Loving Gluten Free, started her gluten-free journey 12 years ago when she was diagnosed with coeliac disease during IVF treatment, discovering that her infertility and constant exhaustion was due to gluten. Now three children later, Helen’s gluten-free lifestyle has changed her life.

Easy Gluten Free makes cooking for the family simple with more than 100 delicious recipes: enjoy favourites such as pizza, pasta and breads as well as soups, salads, hearty mains and desserts you won’t believe are gluten-free! 

Inside you’ll also find tips on what to keep in your pantry, on the different gluten-free flours and how to use them, as well as a guide to cooking different grains and seeds.

Recipes include: Easy Bowl & Spoon Gluten-Free Loaf; Leek & Mushroom Tart in Shortcrust Pastry; Cauliflower Pizza 3 Ways; Roasted Miso Pumpkin & Rocket Salad; Greek Horiatiki Salad; Hearty Chicken Drumstick & Vegetable Soup; Smashed Pea & Corn Fritters with Lime Avocado; Slow-cooked Beef Ragu Rigatoni; Best-ever Beef Lasagne; Crispy Salt & Pepper Squid; Sticky Pork Ribs with Tamari Honey Mustard Glaze; Molten Chocolate Puddings; Raw Mango Macadamia Cheesecake and many more.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia, we’re able to share three recipes from Easy Gluten Free which is being released this week. Try before you buy, and keep an eye out for our review of the whole book, coming soon!

The Fluffiest Pancakes Ever (page 24)

Serves 2-4
DF, GF, V

Rise and shine to the easiest pancakes you will ever make. All you need is a bowl and spoon and you can whip up a batch in minutes. Coconut milk works beautifully in pancakes – they turn out extra moist and fluffy and, in case it’s an issue, you can’t taste the coconut at all. If you prefer to use regular or almond milk, go right ahead. I love a classic topping of banana, cinnamon and maple syrup but you can be as creative as you like with your garnishes and drizzles.

  • 170 g (1 1/3 cups) plain gluten-free flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons caster sugar
  • pinch of sea salt flakes
  • 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk (or milk of your choice), plus extra if needed
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, plus extra for pan-frying
  • pure maple syrup, blueberries and mint, to serve

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the milk, egg, vanilla and coconut oil and whisk to form a thick, smooth batter. Add extra milk if the batter is too thick.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and melt a little extra coconut oil. Add a ladleful of batter and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip over and cook for another minute.

Repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little more coconut oil when needed.

Serve with your favourite toppings.

Variation

  • Give your pancakes a nutritious fibre boost by replacing 50 g (1/3 cup) plain gluten-free flour with 30 g (1/3 cup) tiger nut flour.

Moroccan Lamb Tajine with Pumpkin & Quinoa (page 216)

Serves 4-6
DF, GF

This aromatic tajine is so easy to make – you simply throw everything in a pot and let it simmer away. You get subtle sweetness from cinnamon-scented pumpkin, freshness from fragrant herbs and juiciness from succulent fall-apart lamb. Traditionally, tajines are served with couscous but in my gluten-free version I suggest quinoa, which is far superior nutritionally. Kids love the fluffy texture and nutty taste of quinoa and it soaks up the sauce beautifully in this family recipe.

  • 1 × 1 kg deboned lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 5 cm chunks
  • extra-virgin olive oil, for pan-frying
  • 500 ml (2 cups) gluten-free chicken stock
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 300 g peeled butternut pumpkin, cut into 3 cm cubes
  • coriander leaves, to serve
  • cooked quinoa (see page 21), to serve

Marinade

  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 cm piece of ginger, roughly chopped
  • 1 small onion, halved
  • small handful of coriander leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
  • pinch of freshly ground black pepper

To make the marinade, place the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to form a paste. Pour into a glass or ceramic bowl, add the lamb and turn to coat well. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced).

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a tajine or flameproof casserole dish over medium–high heat and sear the lamb for 5 minutes or until browned all over.

Pour in the chicken stock and lemon juice, then cover and place in the oven for 2 hours. Remove the dish from the oven and stir in the pumpkin, then bake for another 30 minutes.

Remove the tajine from the oven and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Scatter with coriander leaves and serve with quinoa.

I Can’t Believe There’s No Butter’ Choc Chip Cookies

Makes 18
DF, GF, V

Crispy edges + chewy centre + molten chocolate chunks = cookie heaven. Coconut oil is my go to when baking dairy-free cookies because it delivers that perfect utopia of crispness and chewiness. Adjusting the baking time by a few minutes either way will make your cookies softer or crunchier so do customise it to suit your preference. One bite and you’ll never reach for that butter again!

  • 130 g coconut oil, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (115 g) brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (115 g) caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 230 g (1 3/4 cups) plain gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
  • 200 g gluten-free dark chocolate
  • (70% cocoa), chopped into 1–2 cm chunks

Place the coconut oil and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine.

Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and beat until just combined, then fold in the chopped chocolate. Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes (or overnight for crispier cookies).

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced) and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Roll the dough into 18 balls, place on the prepared trays evenly spaced apart and gently flatten with the palm of your hand (see Tip). Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Tip

  • The size and shape of the dough dictates the spread of the cookie so if you want your cookies thin and crispy, flatten the balls with the palm of your hand. For a more rounded shape and softer texture leave them as balls.

Easy Gluten Free by Helen Tzouganatos, Published by Plum, RRP $39.99, Photography by Jeremy Simons.

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